


Eat The Rich

by SassyGrape



Category: Kingdom, Kingdom (2019), Kingdom Netflix
Genre: Action/Adventure, Cannibalism, Death, Drama, Fear, Female Physicians, Joseon Period, Medieval Korea, Undead, Zombies, female oc - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-25 21:09:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17732714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SassyGrape/pseuds/SassyGrape
Summary: Seo-Yun is a young physician working at Jiyulheon-hospital when something terrible happens. All patients and most of the helpers and other physicians turn into mindless monsters, hungry for human flesh and blood. Together with Seo-Bi and an impertinent patient she needs to survive this horror and try to stop it from spreading over the country.





	1. The Wooden Box

**Author's Note:**

> I've binge-watched Netflix' Kingdom and I'm so so happy I did. Usually I'm not really a fan of Zombie themed series or movies for the fact that they all are kinda similar. (tbh The Walking Dead is more pushing my blood pressure up than being fun to watch rn)  
> And I was so pleased to see what they did with the show, the storyline, the suspense, the characters - everything is just so on point. And because it's that good I needed to write that off my mind. 
> 
> Also, I'm aware I'm writing POC here and I'm very inexperienced with that. If anything is just terribly wrong or offensive, let me know and I will take that off.

_They really take their time_ , Seo-Yun thought, glancing over the place. The hospital Jiyulheon was more than just that – not only sick ones found refuge here but also those less lucky who had no other place to stay in these sad times. Money was short for all, and so was food. Within the last few weeks, more people than ever had come here, asking for free treatment or even just a bowl of hot soup. Whatever they had to offer as soup. Sighing, Seo-Yun went to fetch some ointments and fresh dressings for the wounded ones. Though she didn't think of herself as a physician as gifted as Lee Seung-Hui or his best substitute Seo-Bi, she was aware that – since none of both was at the hospital right now – she was in charge of taking care of those in need. Together with Kyung Soon, a kind hearted and caring physician, she had to run the place.  


“Here now, Hwan, let's change that poultice.” She sat down next to the young man who had gotten himself a rather nasty wound on his left side. According to him, he had been fighting off an angry goat – Seo-Yun most certainly knew he had been in trouble with other men, which had ended in a knife fight. She knew that because one of her other patients was his opponent.  


“Can this... can't this stay 'til tomorrow?”, he groaned as she removed the poultice. The wound didn't look good at all. It had reddened, was swollen and hot. At least there was no visible infection or pus.  


“No, it can't. We don't want an infection.”  


“Ughhh...” Hwan groaned again, this time louder, turning his head away. Seo-Yun forced a cheerful smile on her lips, cleaning the wound and dressing it again. This man was so sensitive.  


“There we are. All done. You survived, against all odds.”  


“Don't make jokes about my situation!”  


“Well, Hwan, humour helps healing”, she grinned, patted his shoulder and grabbed the old poultice to put it into the basket for used clothes.  


Chattering with the other patients, she took care of their bruises, coughs or wounds, encouraging them to keep an eye on possible changes in their well-being.  
Still, she hoped for Seo-Bi to find more herbs, some garlic would be nice. And of course for Lee-Hui to come back.  
She wasn't the best physician, working here for only a year she had just scratched on the surface of these matters. 

“Thank you for taking care of the place, Seo-Yun.”  


“Please, don't thank me for that. It was no trouble at all. Kyung Soon was there, too.”  


The two women shared some herbal tea, enjoying the midday sun warming their faces. Their colleagues had offered to prepare some more soup and attend those in need, though most people wanted to rest after they had their wounds redressed or new poultices on.  


“I know, and Kyung Soon is very skilled. But I wanted her to let you work this morning”, Seo-Bi smiled and took a sip of tea. “You learn fast.”  


“I uh... I try my best.”  


“Don't be so humble. I'm proud and glad to have you here. You are a great help, Seo-Yun.”  


“We should really go and give our patients some soup”, the young woman sputtered, emptied her cup and hurried to the kitchen of the place.  


Seo-Bi was right behind her, fetching some clothes and ointments. “Who haven't you attended to this morning?”  


“Those on the left porch. Kyung Soon told me to wait for you in that case.”  


“Good.”  


The women set out to the porch where usually people with more severe wounds lay, but sometimes others would just sit there in the shadow to calm their nerves and avoid being talked to.  
Carefully, Seo-Yun watched Seo-Bi take care of Jong-gu, a poor juvenile who had lost both her lower legs three weeks ago. The wounds wouldn't heal properly and so it took them all their knowledge and wisdom to help the young womans' body to regenerate.  


While working, Seo-Bi noticed an elderly man putting away his soup.  


“Eat a little more. You will recover faster that way”, she softly said while still working on the new wound-dressing.  


“I will have it later”, the man almost grunted and to Seo-Yun it was very obvious that he had no desire to have that soup later. Of course she understood that this food wasn't close to a delicious meal, but it was food nonetheless.  


“You call that food?”  


Both physicians looked up. Leaning on a timber sat a man in his late twenties, definitely not anguished, rather annoyed. His dark eyes were clever and Seo-Yun could not help but notice his moderate attractiveness. But what did looks mean when the character was rotten?  


“They will croak from starvation before the disease kills them”, he went on, throwing glances to the sick people who lay on the porch, covered by blankets if needed.  


“The government promised to send us some rice soon, so wait until then.” Seo-Bi went on taking care of Jong-gu, smiling fondly at her, obviously trying to cheer her up, while Seo-Yun tried to count the times she had heard that lie before.  


“Like they would”, the man went on, looking away. “Dozens of people die every day waiting for that rice.” Unfortunately he decided to spit onto the ground. Seo-Yun rolled her eyes at Seo-Bi, then turned to face the man.  


“Would you be so kind as to not spit on the ground?”, she asked.  


“Where should I spit, then?”  


“How about, don't?”  


The stared at each other with a lot of discontent and a tiny bit amusement, until Seo-Bi interrupted that eye-contact, stepping in front of the man. She started tying the bandage around his shoulder tighter, her expression clearly displeased.  
The second knot she made was a bit too harshly done – Seo-Yun thought it only served him right for his unkind words.  


Suddenly he grabbed Seo-Bi's arm, his teeth clenched. “What are you doing?”  


_Well, she's punishing you_ , Seo-Yun thought.  


“Those people will become sicker if they do not eat that, so watch what you say.” With that, she shook off his hand, staring him down. “Seo-Yun, would you be so kind as to-”  


“Sure.” There was no need for the physician to end the sentence. The young woman grabbed the used clothes, stood up and brought them to the basket. Still she could hear the conversation behind her – and she couldn't help but eavesdrop. Sadly she knew the common rules of how to behave, but did that hinder her in any way? Unfortunately not.  


“By the way, when is that physician Lee coming?”  


“I told you he went to Hanyang”, Seo-Bi said, leaving the porch and its inhabitants behind her.  


“So, when is he coming back?” The young man turned so he could still look at Seo-Bi. “I came all the way here because I heard he was the best.”  


“Your wound will heal quickly if you shut your trap, so be on your way.”  


“Seo-Bi, you destroyed him”, Seo-Yun whispered in awe. She had to bite her tongue to not start giggling at the face of the young man. Seo-Bi just went away, leaving him staring at her unbelievingly, shaking his head and laughing at what just had happened. 

While folding fresh clothing, Seo-Yun's thoughts had the opportunity to run wild again. Lee-Hui had gone to Hanyang, the capital. Nobody knew why or for how long he would be there. People were curious and she had already heard stories of a weird sickness the physician had to treat. If that was true she wondered what kind of sickness it was and if Dan-i, who was with him in Hanyang, could be persuaded to tell her more after their return.  


Just before her thoughts entangled themselves in wild theories about the stay in Hanyang or dart over to that impertinent but handsome patient she could hear cheerful yelling from the gate. Something along the lines that physician Lee-Hui was back.  
Quickly she put the clean sheets and clothes onto a wooden box, then hurried to the gate where now all those who could walk had gathered. They were waiting in anticipation, leading him to the hospital.  


But he was alone, Seo-Yun noticed. He was alone, not accompanied by Dan-i. And that boy was absolutely not able to be left alone in the capital. Just then the young physician saw the cart which was pulled by Lee-Hui's horse. A dark gut feeling nestled into her stomach and she stopped getting closer, rather she returned to the third row, not wanting to see more. Knotted, wooden boxes on carts never meant anything good. Seo-Yun had seen enough for her taste.  
As the physician reached his pupils and patients, they all bowed to greet him – all but Seo-Yun who still stared at the box, and as she turned her head, she saw the young man who had slandered about the food, standing at her left, not bowing either.  


“What is that, master?”, Seo-Bi softly asked, hand-wringing. Her nervousness was almost palpable. Lee-Hui dismounted his horse, regret and distinct pain painted over his face.  


“Prepare for a funeral.”  


“Pardon. Whose funeral do you mean?”  


But the older physician just took his bag with unnervingly slow movements and headed back to the hospital. He gave no explanation, no name, nothing.  
And to Seo-Yun there was no need for all that. She watched as the men and women bowed for Lee-Hui and noticed too late she had forgotten about it, again. Hastily she bowed her head, but it was of no use – Lee-Hui hadn't noticed at all, so there was no reason to worry. That man was caught up in terrible, dark thoughts.  


“Seo-Bi.” She found the courage to make her way to her colleague, just in time to arrive as some men undid the knotted cords around the wooden box. “Seo-Bi, don't go near there. It's Dan-i.”  


“What are you saying?”  


“Trust me, it's-”  


Just then the men opened the box, revealing the corpse of a young man, covered with bite wounds, his clothes soaked in his blood. A groaning gasp went through the bystanders, echoing the terror which was clearly visible on their faces.  


“It's Dan-i!”  


“Oh gosh, Dan-i!”  


Seo-Yun stared at the injuries of the young man, noticed some of his fingers missing. How pale his lips were and how much blood there was. But his body had not yet started to emit that foul stench only corpses called theirs.  
Voices grew louder how this could have happened while Seo-Bi ran after Lee-Hui. But for Seo-Yun there was no need to do so. She knew the man would reveal nothing. He wouldn't tell them why Dan-i had died. Or how. Asking was in vain.  
If there was one thing which Seo-Yun was excelling at, it was her gut feeling. Whenever she saw things which seemed unfitting or strange to others, she managed to grasp the whole picture without really thinking about it. Most of the times, she just knew.


	2. Hunger Makes Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things turn to shit quite fast at the hospital and there is nothing Seo-Yun can do. But at least she can try to find out how and what happened.

It was late afternoon when Seo-Bi, Kyung Soon and Seo-Yun came back from gathering herbs in the nearby forest. As they walked up the path to Jiyulheon, they noticed smoke over the hospital.  


“I see smoke from the chimney”, Kyung Soon pointed out, still lightly panting from the fast walk.  


“What's going on?”, Seo-Bi wondered, looking at her colleagues quizzically, then back to the smoke. They definitely had extinguished the small fire in the kitchen before they had left for the woods.  


“I don't know.”  


“What do you think, Seo-Yun?”  


The young physician stared at the dark smoke. “I don't think this is good.” Though she couldn't explain why. Smoke just meant someone had started a hearth fire. But who would? None of the other helpers had time to do so – not to mention Lee-Hui. He was out of question. So who had? And for what reason? Seo-Yun doubted that the rice had finally been delivered to them.  
Together, they entered the hospital – immediately slowing down as they saw what was going on. Satisfied mumbling and happy slurping filled the air, together with the noise of bowls being emptied frantically. Smell of boiled meat lingered all over the place.  


“What are they eating?”, Seo-Yun wondered, standing besides Seo-Bi who coulnd't believe her eyes neither. Kyung Soon had ran off to ask another helper what had happened.  


“It does not smell like our soup”, the older woman said, cautiously walking on.  


“Seo-Bi... they have meat.” This didn't feel good at all. Seo-Yun stared at the people who crammed boiled meat into their mouths as if they were afraid they would never get eat something like this again in their life. Which was very likely. Still, she wondered where the meat came from. Nobody of the sick was able to hunt. Besides, one needed a permit to actually go hunt something.  
She followed the older woman who suddenly almost ran over to the kitchen. Just to find the impertinent man there, stirring the soup. That's why there was smoke.  


“What is all that?”, Seo-Bi wanted to know, glancing into the huge pot.  


“Is it not obvious?” He took another bowl to fill it. “The patients are starving to death, but the physician is holed up in his room. I needed food to live so I hunted a deer.”  


“A deer?”  


She knew she was not to interrupt that, but Seo-Yun wondered where he would get a deer in these parts. They were rare and timid and very agile. They could outrun even the most skilled hunters. And Seo-Yun had to know that.  


“You found a deer in the mountains?”, Seo-Bi questioned him. “Did you get the governments permission?”  


As if it was nothing special, the man threw some stacks into the oven. “Should we get permission to die, too?” He took the tray on which three filled bowls were. “People here complain even if I bring food.”  
He walked past Seo-Bi, then noticed Seo-Yun standing in the door frame, staring at the soup. “Why are you staring?”  


“Did everybody already eat from that?”  


“How would they not? They were starving.”  


“Hm.” Still staring at the bowls, Seo-Yun got out of his way, her gaze following him. This didn't smell like deer at all. She looked up to Seo-Bi. “I will clean the herbs.”  


“Thank you.”

She had put the herbs in her wickerbasket and left that behind the closest corner so Seo-Bi would not notice her not cleaning them. Instead, the physician searched for the helpers. Most were sitting in the courtyard, eating and chatting. But she hadn't seen Seok with them, so he had to be around here somewhere, probably boiling the laundry.  
Behind the main house where people slept at night and boxes were stored, she finally found him. He, indeed, did boil the laundry. He was always lending a helping hand, even at things other men would never think about doing. A trait Seo-Yun admired. She wished she could be just a bit like him. Smiling, she went over to the stocky man.  


“How are you getting along?”, she asked, glancing into the tub.  


“Just fine, thank you.” He paused in his work to smile at the slightly taller woman, snuffling. “Did you get some soup?”  


She shook her head. “Did you?”  


“I will get some later. The patients need it more than I do.”  


“Sure.” Seo-Yun watched the man for a few seconds while he kept working, wondering if she should really ask. But her gut feeling had never betrayed her and there was something about the place right now that made her shiver. “Say, Seok, where did you bury Dan-i?”  


“Not yet, he was put in the dead-house.”  


“Why is that?”  


“I do not know. So, uh... Seo-Yun, would you like to he-”  


“Well, thank you, Seok. I have to go to Seo-Bi.” Waving at the slightly startled man, she left him alone and went to fetch the herbs. She really should work something, but all this was highly suspicious. And though she had sworn herself to never get into big trouble again, she just knew that this time, she could not be blamed for what happened.  


So, instead of cleaning the roots and leaves, Seo-Yun went over to the dead-house, glanced around and then slipped in. No need for the rest to know what she was doing – it would only lead to trouble.  
Inside the light was very dim, the air stale and cold, reeking of starting decay. In several wooden boxes lay dead people. They had passed away within the last two days. Tomorrow the helpers would dig a hole big enough to fit them all in to bury them properly. There was no sense in digging holes every day. The deceased ones would get a proper ceremony, their bodies getting washed, their nails cut and hair combed. Unfortunately nobody here could afford a real funeral in the city, so they had to work with what they got.  


“So, Dan-i, where are you?” Mumbling, Seo-Yun searched through the small place, checking every corpse. She knew every one of them and seeing their expressionless, lifeless faces caused her to grind her teeth. All this death could have been avoided if government had sent food and supplies. But they hadn't, though promised. They were all big talk but no action.  
After a short while she left the dead-house again, taking a deep breath. Dan-i was not in there, he probably had been. But he was not any more.  
Seo-Yun had a very bad gut feeling about this.  


So she went to the storing place, crossing the courtyard. Seo-Bi and the annoying man were nowhere to be seen, though the people still gnawed happily on the bones in the soup. Hastily Seo-Yun looked away, pushing her discomfort aside. Although the sun was shining onto her back, she couldn't feel the warmth. Something cold had a fast grip on her spine, something that had to do with survival in the south. Something she knew about but had never witnessed.  
In the darkest corner of the small hut where personal belongings were kept, Seo-Yun digged up her old and worn jute sack. Never had she thought she would need that again. And here she was, staring at the things which had kept her alive for a long time. Notes about herbs to use if sick or injured, a map and her geom – the short sword her grandfather had gifted to her right before his death.  


If it turned out to be true what she thought was happening right now – that the annoying man had fed the patients human flesh as substitute to deer or rabbit or just any meat – she didn't want to stay here. Of course, desperate times called for desperate measures. Seo-Yun knew that folks in the south had done that in order to survive, they had fed on the meat of starved neighbours, but you really shouldn't do that in a hospital. Who knows what had caused Dan-i to die that terribly – bitten to death by a wild animal? Had he been sick before dying? And if – what kind of sickness?  


Most likely the man had acted out of instinct and with best intentions. She wondered just how nobody had noticed him chopping up a body. Had he?  
She would leave this place. Not really what she wanted to do – but there were some things she was not willing to deal with.  


Just then she heard some ruckus from outside – strange noises, like somebody throwing up. Although... many people vomiting at the same time. Cautiously Seo-Yun glanced out on the courtyard, her breath hitching up.  
All these patients cramped, spat out the soup, vomited on the ground. She could hear Kyung Soon call out the names of some patients, her voice trembling with terror and fear. Without further thought, Seo-Yun sprinted out of the hut to help her colleague. Agonized groans filled the place as people around her dropped down, seemingly dying.  


“Kyung Soon! What is happening?”, she called out as she saw her colleague leaning over Jong-gu. “All the patients...”  


“I... I don't know. They all... where is the master?” Kyung Soon's eyes filled with tears as she realized that the whole place was suddenly silent, apart from some gagging sounds which died away too fast to be natural.  


“I haven't seen him”, Seo-Yun slowly said. Goosebumps on her arms rubbed against the linen shirt she wore. “Stay here, I will fetch him.”  


“Y-yes.”  


Seo-Yun tried not to stare at the bodies scattered over the place, at the yellowish phlegm sticking in their faces. Tried not to think what just had happened within these few minutes. But what had happened? Behind a small bench she could see Seok, spread across the ground, expectorate all over his chest and on his right arm, his eyes rolled back. She bit her tongue to suppress a pained groan.  


She reached Lee-Hui's small private building and didn't bother to ask for permission to enter. In a case like that there was no time for formalities. She pushed open the door. “Master! Master, you have to come! Something terrible has happened!”  
Above her clouds darkened the sky and a chilly breeze tugged on her skirt.  


“Seo-Yun, what is the case?” He sat on his table, studying in his books. There were many loose papers scattered on the floor, as if he had been searching for something particular. Intelligent eyes searched her horrified face for answers. “You seem troubled.”  


“Master... everybody is dead”, she blurted out and closed the door behind her. “You have to come and see it. They all ate from the soup and then... then... Master, I think-”  


“Dead? Soup? What are you talking about?” He pointed at the place across his desk, so she forced herself to sit down and take a deep breath. “Tell me everything you know.”  


“Master... when you brought Dan-i back you told the men to prepare a funeral. When Seo-Bi, Kyung Soon and I came back, we discovered one of our patients has made soup with meat. He claimed it deer, but when I checked the dead-house, Dan-i's corpse was missing. I suspect he … he... I am sure he has used Dan-i's flesh for the soup. And now everybody who ate it is dead. Please, master, tell me – was Dan-i sick? Why did he die?” Seo-Yun bowed her head, not able to hold back tears of terror and fear. “What has happened? Everybody is dead!”  


“It's a sickness indeed”, Lee-Hui finally sighed. “Listen closely.”

A scream cut through the air, piercing and loud and bone-chilling. Seo-Yun almost jumped up but Lee-Hui grabbed her arm. “We must hide from them.”  


“But that was Kyung Soon!”  


The physician shook his head, his white hair shimmering in the flickering light of the torch in the room. An expression of grief and also terror masked his usually stoic face. “She is lost. If you get bitten you are lost. You cannot heal from that wound.”  


“Master!”  


“We have to leave now.”  


Together they went to the door and opened it a bit, peering out.  


And what Seo-Yun saw caused her to forget to breathe. The people were all gone. But, not gone. They were crawling and limping and running towards the porch where she had left Kyung Soon behind.  
Another scream echoed over the place, tingling in Seo-Yun's ears. She shuddered, eyes wide in shock. These were not screams or shrieks of surprise or fear. These were death screams. Layered with agony and pure terror.  


“We have to move as long as they are occupied”, Lee-Hui whispered, sneaking out of the hut, careful of where there could be more of his former patients.  


“What have you done?” Seo-Yun still stood in the door frame, unable to move. Her whole body felt frozen, rigid. Gurgling sounds, hungry hissing and inhuman sounds filled the place, drowning out all other noises.  
Seo-Yun felt sick, her head dizzy. Did this really happen? How could this happen?  


“Come now.” Lee-Hui didn't wait for her, he made his way to the bigger storing place which had a stable door which could be locked with a beam from the inside, too. There they would be safe.  


“What have you created?” She almost mourned, taking small, silent steps to follow him. She was still hidden in the shadows as she got a glimpse on the porch – and suddenly Seo-Yun felt her legs getting weak, her sight blurring. There was Kyung Soon. Surrounded by these things which gnawed on her, had their teeth in her flesh and ripped parts of it out of her. Blood was everywhere. She felt sick, holding her stomach, letting out the faintest of sighs. But Seo-Yun knew that this was not the time to faint, so she concentrated on staying alert, hard as it was.  


Out of the corner of her eyes she could see Lee-Hui making his way to the storing place, trying to stay hidden from them.  


No way would Seo-Yun just walk past them and hope to not get seen or smelled. Not while being defenceless. With a quick glance she measured the way to the small storing place. It was not too far and in the opposite direction from the porch. Good chances these things would not notice her. And definitely worth a shot. With her sword she would feel way safer. Just then she saw such a thing behind Lee-Hui.  


“This cannot be”, she mumbled to herself, but before she could think about it, her instincts kicked in. It was almost as if she saw herself from another perspective, starting to run towards her mentor. Her steps growing bigger, gaining speed, her face a mask of determination, chin an cheeks wet from tears cried. She could feel the chill of the night on her face but it didn't bother her. Time seemed to stand still for the moments she needed to reach the old man, there was nothing else she had in her focus, – and as she did, everything went too fast to really comprehend.  


With all the speed she had, she jumped against the monster attacking Lee-Hui, crashing it down while pushing the man towards the building. Hastily she got onto her feet again, not wasting a second glance into the cruelly deformed, blood-smeared and gruesome face of the creature. Seo-Yun hurried after Lee-Hui – and only after somebody closed the door and blocked it behind them, she let out a sigh of relief, closing her eyes.  


“Seo-Yun... you are alive!”  


She opened her eyes, hearing the familiar voice. In front of her stood Seo-Bi, hand-wringing and eyes reddened. Though not hurt, the physician seemed deeply troubled. And who would not be?  


“And you are, too.” Seo-Yun allowed a soft smile, then she noticed the young man who was halfway hidden in the shadows. “You!” With a swift movement she faced the man while she heard Seo-Bi talk to Lee Hui.  


“What?”, the young man retorted, his face brisk but still kind of shocked.  


“You cooked Dan-i!”  


“You want to be mad about this, too?”  


Seo-Yun let out a deep sigh, massaging her temples. “I should be. But I cannot. But why him? You surely have seen the bite marks on him.”  


“He was the most fresh one. Nobody eats old meat.” He shrugged his shoulders.  


Somewhere outside a woman screamed in terror. The four in the building looked into the direction, although they could not see a thing, a thick stone wall prevented that.  


“The disease has changed. It has begun to spread.” Lee-Hui looked up to the ceiling, his voice rasp.  


“What are you talking about, Master?”, Seo-Bi wanted to know, following the man.  


He just nodded to himself. “I can fix it. I can... fix this disease.” He walked further into the room and there Seo-Yun saw it. A bloody bite mark on the left shoulder of Lee-Hui. She had not been fast enough. Pained she closed her eyes, a faint No escaping her lips.  


Seo-Bi wanted to go after the physician, but the young man held her back, pointing at the mark.  


“I logged everything about the disease. Everything...” He almost choked on his words, suddenly he seemed old and worn and tired. And sick. Silently the three stared at him, as he started to catch a breath, a death rattle shaking his old body, his right hand trying to find the hurtful spot on his back. Heavy cramps came over him and blood dripped from his left hand onto the ground, got sprinkled onto his coat as he gagged.  


Seo-Yun watched in silent horror as her master coughed out his last breath, falling to the ground where cramps let his body twitch. She looked away, hearing Seo-Bi gasp for air in sheer fear.  


“Is he... is he dead?”, Seo-Bi finally asked after a few seconds of silence in the room.  


“Yes.” The man nodded, staring at the corpse.  


“This is bad. Seo-Bi, he is going to turn into one of these... things.”  


“No, he is not. He … he can not....”  


The women looked at each other, eyes wide and swollen. Seo-Yun gulped hard.  


“We have to lock him away before... you know. He wakes up again.”  


“She is right”, the man said, surprisingly calm. Carefully watching the dead man, he went further into the room, looking around. “How about that cabinet?”  


“Yes, that should work”, Seo-Yun nodded. “Seo-Bi, are you all right? Can you help me with him?”  


But the physician couldn't move, just manage a small shake of her head. She had known the man for over ten years and now he was dead, killed by monsters he had created. What reason did he have? Why did this happen?  


“I will help you.”  


Together with the man Seo-Yun put Lee-Hui's body into the cabinet, carefully closing the doors. Then they wrapped a chain, which Seo-Bi had found in the meantime, around it, locking it. The more locks, the safer.


	3. Surviving feels ugly

“I feel so bad for him.”  


The three sat in silence, staring at the cabinet. In it there were angry grunts to hear, hissing and scratching of fingernails against wood. The world outside the small building had turned into a blood filled nightmare and not even the dark of the night could cover the chilling scenery.  


“He has always been a good man. He was kind.” Seo-Bi leaned against a wall, her arms wrapped around her legs. She rather mumbled into her skirt, none of them was actually in the mood to talk. Her eyes were reddened from crying and locked on the cabinet.  


“He is dead now.” The younger physician leaned on a wall close to the door, glancing outside from time to time, always expecting to wake up and realize all that had been a dream. Terrible, but only a blurry image of her mind. But it was not. “Or... not anymore.”  


“He said this is a sickness.”  


“Being dead is not a real sickness”, the young man dared to interrupt. He sat with his legs crossed, watching the women and the cabinet.  


“He is right”, Seo-Yun slowly said, getting off the wall and strolling around the room. Furrowing her brows, she looked at the man again. “What's your name anyway?”  


Hesitating a moment, he avoided her stare. “Yeong-sin.”  


_Well, that is not your name. But it will do_ , Seo-Yun thought, going on through the room towards the cabinet. Though nervous she was sure the chains would keep the thing inside. “Just what kind of disease does that? It lets one die and then come back as a monster. I have never seen the likes.”  


“It's not natural”, Yeong-sin stated. “That is why you've never seen it before.”  


“Sure, but...”, she trailed off, biting her lower lip. “There must be a way to stop it.”  


“The Master said he could heal it. That he logged everything about it”, Seo-Bi mumbled, watching Seo-Yun.  


“But how can we be sure that it will work?”, the younger one wondered silently.  


“We can not. But we have to try. We have to.”  


“First of all, we have to survive tonight.”  


The women looked at Yeong-sin, who had his head turned to the locked door.  


“I think in here we are fairly safe”, Seo-Yun said, glancing over to the barricaded door. “How about the two of you sleep and I will keep watch?”  


“I don't think I can sleep.” Sighing, Seo-Bi turned her head to face her younger colleague. “This is terrible. These poor people.”  


Silently Seo-Yun searched the place for something to lay on and after a few minutes found some old, ragged coats. She spread them on the floor and helped Seo-Bi up. There were no words needed. The younger one understood the pain of her colleague and friend, the state of shock in which she was. She led her to the coats and sat down with her. That way at least they would not catch a cold.  


“Come, sit with us, Yeong-sin. You don't have to freeze over there”, Seo-Yun invited the man who cautiously did so.  
With all the unnatural sounds around them the night seemed to be extraordinarily long.

As something touched her leg, Seo-Yun woke with a gasp, sitting up with her eyes half closed. Slowly she took in her surroundings, realizing that it only was Seo-Bi, who was still sleeping next to her. Through the night, the noise had lowered, never vanished. Yeong-sin had been kind enough to offer to stay up so the women could sleep at least.  


Blinking, Seo-Yun noticed the sun rays breaking through the small cracks in the wooden door. So it was morning – or even later. Quickly looking around, she found Yeong-sin standing on the wall, seeming quite tired himself.  


Without waking Seo-Bi, the physician stood up and went over to the young man. With a tired glance he greeted her.  


“Did anything happen?”, she asked.  


“Yes. Look.” Yeong-sin led her to the still closed door. “They all hid under the floor boards at sunrise.”  


“Did they move since then?”  


“No.”  


“We should see if it is safe to go out”, Seo-Yun mentioned, turning around to see her colleague still sleeping. It had taken hours to halfway calm her and the young woman couldn't blame Seo-Bi at all for that. All three of them had been and still were nervous, filled with unease. The thought of opening that door wasn't very inviting, but at some point they had to leave – they needed food and water.  


“Do you want me to go out there?”, Yeong-sin wondered, though his expression told Seo-Yun everything she needed to know. He did not want to go out there.  


But who would want to? None of them, that for sure.  


Sighing she shot another glance at Seo-Bi. “I will go. You lock the door as soon as I am out.”  


“Alright.”  


He took away the beam so Seo-Yun could slip out of the building. As soon as she fully stood in the sunlight, she heard the man close the door and lock it again. At least they were safe.

Though she would never want to admit it, her palms were sweaty and her throat felt tight. Being afraid really was not her thing. And usually she feared nothing – but these things were something new and terrifying. Something she didn't know.  
The place seemed like a scenery from a battlefield. Everywhere was blood, gore and the stench of decaying corpses. Benches had been thrown over, the Hanji-doors were ripped and blood-smeared.  


When the bodies underneath the floor boards didn't move, Seo-Yun grew more courageous, taking bigger steps towards the other storage place. With monsters like that around, her sword would come in more than handy.  
Still, she did not trust the calm, but it seemed these things were in some sort of coma or trance. Or sleep. Who knew. They did not move or breathe. Within a few minutes she had gathered her jute sack, her sword now dangling from her left hip. That felt way better than before. Now she was able to defend herself.  


Next Seo-Yun went to the entrance of the hospital, seeing it closed caused her to take a deep, thankful breath. At least none of the monsters had escaped this place. Like that, they may be able to find a way to deal with them without putting the surrounding villages at risk. 

Before she could return to the safety of the locked off building, she had to check one last thing. Just to make sure that these things did not pose a threat right now.  
Gulping, Seo-Yun went to the middle of the hospitals' courtyard, her sword drawn. Cautiosly she went closer to the floor boards, under which these monsters were. Every step became smaller and harder to take. What if they got up all at once? What if they could smell her and would attack? They were too many to handle and Seo-Yun knew that. She had no death-wish at all, but they just had to know.  


Now she stood right in front of the floor board, taking shallow breaths - the stench would not allow deep ones. Crouching down, Seo-Yun grabbed her sword firmer than necessary.  
And before she could consider all the outgoings of this, she rammed the blade into the head of the closest monster. It did not flinch. It did not move at all. Not a single sound escaped it. Furrowing her brows, Seo-Yun pulled her sword out of the head and noticed how dark and clumpy the blood sticking on it was. Just to make sure she stabbed another monster into the shoulder and arm. Still nothing. No reaction at all.  


_Seems like we have to work with that. It is not going to get better._

“You can open the door.”  


From the inside, Seo-Yun could hear Yeong-sin move the beam, but also Seo-Bi talking. At least she was awake and not completely stupefied anymore.  


As the door got opened greeted her colleague with a nod of her head, then waved towards the monsters crammed underneath the floor boards.  


“I don't think they will move now. Maybe they are afraid of sunlight”, Seo-Yun managed to say before she was interrupted by Seo-Bi who grabbed her at her collars.  


“Are you suicidal? Why did you go out here alone? You could not know if they get up again! You can not risk your life like that again, do you hear me?”, the older one scolded the young physician, shaking her from side to side.  


“I hear you.” While being shaken around, Seo-Yun softly grabbed Seo-Bi's arms and lowered them. “One of us had to see if we can move now. You are the better physician and I am faster.” She turned to look at the halfway hidden monsters.  


“We have to bury them.”  


“Bury?” Yeong-sin stared at Seo-Bi as if she was mad. “How should we bury all of them in one day?”  


“He is right.”  


Seo-Bi let out a small sigh, then squared her shoulders. “We should split the work. You are right, we will not be able to dig a hole big enough for all of them. Maybe we will need two to three days.”  


Taking a look around, Yeong-sin seemed to think. “We need to secure the place. Who knows if they can climb. The walls are not that high.”  


“First of all, you should go and search for physician Lee's journal”, Seo-Yun suggested. “In the meantime, I start digging that hole.”  


“You alone?”  


“Yeong-sin already said we need to secure the place.”  


Seo-Bi furrowed her brows at the two other survivors in front of her.  


“Right. I will search for the journal and see if we can cure this sickness. Yeong-sin, you go and gather bamboo and take care none of these monsters can escape.” She turned toward her colleague. “You know where the shovels are.”  


“I know.”  


With that, the three split up to drown out what had happened with physical work and occupying their minds with different things.  
Before Seo-Yun went to get the shovel, she closed the gate behind Yeong-sin. 

“Why dig them in?”, Seo-Yun asked herself, sweat dripping down her neck and forehead. She had decided to bury the monsters inside the clinic – just in case. Also, she didn't want to drag them too far, though she almost got used to it, their stench was gut-wrenching and eye-watering. Additionally she didn't want to look into their faces and recognize them as her friends and patients. They had deserved a better end, not something like that.

Her grandmother had told her tales about the Gangshi; mostly because she wanted Seo-Yun to stay in while night – it had scared her until she found out that it had been, well, just stories.  
Now, of course, these stories of walking corpses, killing living people to get to their blood and flesh – now they seemed to be true. But what power had caused them to come back? What was so potent that it could defy death? What awful ritual had Lee-Hui performed – and who had been the victim of it?  


While still ramming the shovel into the solid ground to deepen the hole, Seo-Yun let out a hiss between her heavy panting. Her eyes twitched as she thought about her Master. Not that she didn't mourn him. But at the same time she cursed him.  
Throwing dirt onto the pile to her right, she glanced over to the stinking monsters.  
“What have you created, Master? Why would you do such a thing?”

She only stopped digging as she heard somebody approaching her from behind. Silently, not as loud and creepy as the things did. Wiping the sweat away, Seo-Yun stretched herself and turned around, blinking against the sunlight.  


“I thought you would like some tea.” Seo-Bi offered her a damping cup and tentatively sat down at the edge of the growing hole. Still it was only offering space for about four corpses – by far not big enough for all of them.  


“Why thank you, Seo-Bi.” Sitting down next to her, Seo-Yun took a sip. “Did you find the journal?”  


The older one just nodded, drinking her herbal tea. “He mentioned a plant I never heard of. The resurrection plant.” She paused to look at Seo-Yun who was all ears. “It is described that the plant can bring dead people back to life. He... He mentioned using it on the king.”  


“The king bit Dan-i, then.” Seo-Yun snuffled, not very elegantly. She knew she should be shocked by such news – but her brain felt way too numb to react properly to such news. It had other, worse, things to deal with right now than the fact that the king was dead and had been resurrected by their Master.  


“But Dan-i died as a human.”  


“Maybe it is because he was bitten. The people here... they _ate_ Dan-i. That is a difference.”  


They sat in silence for a few minutes, staring into the pit. Occasionally they would take sips from their tea, careful not to burn their tongues.  


“He also wrote that the resurrection plant can be used to cure this disease.” Seo-Bi sighed. “If only I knew where exactly to find it.”  


“Why? Was he not specific enough?”  


“Not at all. There is only a mention about a place called the Frozen Valley, where it's foggy all year round. This is where we can find the plant”, she said, slowly standing up. “I reckon it's north-west from here. Will you stay here while I search for it?”  


“Sure.” Getting up again, Seo-Yun gave Seo-Bi her cup back. “As long as we find a way to stop this.”  


“I hope we do.” With that, the older one went away, leaving Seo-Yun alone with these monsters, the shovel and her sword. Thinking about it, not the best company.


End file.
